BAGUIO CITY – The City Council approved on first reading a proposed ordinance regulating the operation and maintenance of public toilets and pay comfort rooms in the city.
The ordinance authored by Vice Mayor Edison R. Bilog stated the purpose of the ordinance is to establish standards applicable to all public toilets and pay comfort rooms in the city and to provide guidelines that will assist the City Health Services Office when inspecting public toilets and pay comfort rooms.
The ordinance added the public toilets and pay comfort rooms must have clear signages approved by the Committee on Billboards, Signs and Advertisements chaired by the City Mayor, indicating the presence of the public toilet and pay comfort room. Further, toilet facilities must be designated by legible signs for each sex and for the persons with disabilities located near the entrance of each toilet facility and displayed clearly in main passage ways and that signages should be commonly recognizable as well as for pay comfort rooms signage, informing the cost of urination, defecation, bathing, and discount for senior citizens should be installed.
The ordinance claimed adoption of a single entrance and exit, which is doorless and designed as a maze blocking the immediate view of the interior from the outside; mirrors, urinals, and cubicles should be placed away from the line of sight of the entrance or exit and modesty boards between urinals should be provided that are all full length but not fixed to the ground to allow easy cleaning of the area.
The ordinance stated introduction of visual education materials encouraging the users to keep the toilet clean, no smoking, importance of hygiene, cleanliness among others should be in place and the provisions for the disabled, elderly and the children should also be in place in the said facilities.
The ordinance also mandated the existence of environment, cleanliness and safety facilities to help ensure the cleanliness of the public comfort rooms and pay toilets at all times and for such facilities to have the appropriate solid waste disposal facilities key to sustaining the overall cleanliness of the city.
The ordinance tasked the City Health Services Office to be the lead agency in monitoring the implementation of the pertinent provisions of the ordinance and the compliance of the public toilets and pay comfort rooms to the guidelines enshrined in the local legislative measure.
Under the provisions of the ordinance, persons, owners, managers or administrators, officers-in-charge of establishments with public toilets and operators of pay comfort rooms found to have violated the ordinance shall be fined P1,000 for the first offense, P2,500 for the second offense and P5,000 and cancellation of business permit for the third offense.
The ordinance stated all fines imposed on the violators of the provisions of the local legislative measure shall be directly paid to the City Treasury Office.
Bilog claimed the City Health Services office shall set aside the necessary funds to implement its duties and functions defined in the ordinance from its annual budget subject to accounting and auditing rules and regulations.
By Dexter A. See
